Peccati Syn

The male Human Peccati Syn was born on the planet Taris into a deeply religious family, who devoutly followed the pacifist, karmic religion known as the Sacred Way, and its Holy-Book. His parents instilled in him the belief that, should he adhere to his religion's tenets, he would reach a glorious, idyllic afterlife, and Syn lived a happy, devoted childhood. However, soon the Galactic Empire began to enforce its prohibition of religion on his homeworld. Some, such as the Verpine "Pera" on Aduba-3, ignored the mandate and continued to practice, but Syn complied.

After such a faith-oriented youth, Syn was left spiritually barren, and, bereft of other options, turned to the doctrine of the New Order to fill this religious vacuum. He ardently internalized the Emperor's dogma and enlisted in the Imperial Navy, carving out a name for himself. In 2 BBY, Syn was one of twelve men elevated by Emperor Palpatine to the newly created and highly prestigious position of Grand Admiral. His appointment surprised many in the Empire as there were numerous admirals with comparable service records. Syn's ascension coincided with the beginning of the Galactic Civil War, and he fought the Rebel Alliance with devotion to duty and tactical acumen. He named his flagship Fi, after the High Galactic word for "son" used by Sacred Way clergymen. Syn became close friends with fellow Tarisian Admiral Foga Brill, whom he helped attain governorship of the Deep Core planet Prakith.

Syn's exalted Empire began to deteriorate after the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, in which Emperor Palpatine and his enforcer Darth Vader perished, along with the second Death Star and the Super Star Destroyer Executor. Many Imperials, including some of Syn's Grand Admiral colleagues, turned warlord, seizing personal dominions, but Syn continued to defend his areas of operation and complied with the orders coming out of Coruscant. Former Grand Vizier Sate Pestage was technically Interim-Emperor, though he vied for control with the Imperial Ruling Council and Director of Imperial Intelligence Ysanne Isard, among others. One of Pestage's acts was to sanction the establishment of the Church of the Dark Side on Coruscant; overseen by the Prophets of the Dark Side, it preached the renewal and regeneration of the Empire.

Like the hordes of spiritually-starved citizens on the Imperial capital, Syn took to the church fervently, even converting his friend Foga Brill to the religion; no sooner than his Imperial religion had become untenable, a ready-made replacement had cropped up. In truth, the Church was a sham headed by Imperial Intelligence impersonators, founded by Pestage and Lord Cronal in a desperate attempt to strengthen the former Vizier's weakening clutch on the Empire. Nevertheless, Syn was rejuvenated, and while he publicly supported Pestage's regime, his true loyalty lay with the Prophets. The Grand Admiral even attempted in vain to hearten his dispirited colleague Ishin-Il-Raz, lending him a copy of the sacred book Secrets of the Dark Side.

Syn operated out of Imperial-controlled Kashyyyk, the base of Prophetess Merili. Merili was one of the few genuine Prophets working within the Church of the Dark Side, and she became Syn's spiritual advisor. Entrenched in the church's doctrine, Syn vowed not to turn his back on another religion, and served the church's ends along with Fi and its crew. Eight months after the Battle of Endor, the New Republic embarked on an ambitious offensive into Imperial territory, led by the Mon Calamari Admiral Gial Ackbar. Kashyyyk was targeted; Ackbar brought his New Republic Defense Force fleet to bear against Syn's in orbit over the planet.

Assured by two Bothans who claimed to be working for the Imperial warlord Treuten Teradoc that reinforcements were being sent from the Greater Maldrood, Syn engaged Ackbar's fleet, unaware that the Bothans were actually New Republic agents and had sabotaged two of his Immobilizer 418 cruisers. Locked in a one-on-one tactical confrontation with Ackbar, the Grand Admiral, fighting with his newfound spiritual resoluteness, did his best, with no concern for his personal well-being or that of his crew. Ultimately, the New Republic outfought their Imperial counterparts, and Ackbar won the tactical duel. The Mon Calamari Star Cruisers Home One and Maria, commanded by Ackbar and Captain Verrack respectively, caught Syn's Star Destroyer—now named the Silooth—in a crossfire and destroyed its bridge with a volley of proton torpedoes, taking with it Syn, his crew, and Merili. The Church did not outlast the late Grand Admiral for long, and soon after wresting control of the Imperial remnants from Pestage, Ysanne Isard reinstated freedom of religion, legalizing the Sacred Way.

Peccati Syn had fair skin, blue eyes, and graying hair. His life was marked by his single-minded devotion to whatever cause he joined. As a youth, he never strayed from the Sacred Way, and experienced his happiest and fondest times in life. When the time came to replace that religion with the New Order, however, he did so with similar devotion, serving with distinction, despite the fact that the Empire's ethos clashed strongly with that of the Sacred Way, which preached pacifism and divine retribution for sins. Syn, however, did not forget his roots, naming his flagship after a word used by the Sacred Way's clergymen when addressing laypeople. After the collapse of the Empire as known and cherished by Syn, he again found solace in another religion, this time the Church of the Dark Side. The church was a fake, though, and Syn himself was duped.

Unlike many of his peers, Syn did not join the Imperial Navy out of self-importance or barbarity, but rather out of a perceived necessity, in the absence of virtually any other religious organizations. Although his lofty rank initially took many by surprise, Syn demonstrated his tireless, dutiful work and skill in the war against the Rebel Alliance. After Endor, even having lost faith in the Empire, Syn made no attempts to claim a personal fiefdom, and for the rest of his life remained ostensibly loyal to Coruscant.

Peccati Syn was far less morally bankrupt than many of his colleagues, who committed atrocities with the aim of gaining power or prestige, or to fulfill personal ambitions. Until his final engagement at Kashyyyk, he went into battle with concern for the well being of his subordinates, while he even attempted to coax Ishin-Il-Raz, an extremely unpopular fellow Grand Admiral, out of his depression; meanwhile, many of his Imperial peers were clashing over disputed territories and scheming in shadows. Syn was also close friends with Admiral Foga Brill, with whom he enjoyed holding theological debates—Syn helped Brill gain a governorship, and eventually coaxed him into joining the Church of the Dark Side.

Grand Admiral Syn was created by Kevin J. Anderson and Daniel Wallace for The Essential Chronology (2000), where his defeat to Ackbar is briefly mentioned. His name and title appeared in the 2001 video game Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds as a leader for the Imperial faction in standard matches. Syn was briefly mentioned again in Wallace's The New Essential Guide to Characters (2002), before Wallace expanded upon the character's history with co-author Abel G. Peña in Who's Who: Imperial Grand Admirals, published in Star Wars Insider 66 (2003), wherein his first name is established. Who's Who was originally due to appear in Star Wars Gamer magazine, but after Gamers cancellation, it was moved to Star Wars Insider, sans gaming statistics. The move also necessitated the article to be condensed; as a result, some of the Grand Admirals' biographical information was cut, though Syn's remained mostly intact. The cut content revealed that Syn renamed his flagship Silooth after a type of Sithspawn; although originally cut, The Essential Guide to Warfare (2012) confirmed that the ship was called this at the time of Syn's death. The Grand Admiral has also been referenced in Wallace's The New Essential Chronology (2005) and The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia (2008).

The Italian word "peccati" means "sins" in English, while "syn" bears similarity to "sin". This is an intentional pun on the part of Who's Who: Imperial Grand Admirals coauthor Abel G. Peña, who is conversant in Italian.

Syn's future pointed to him becoming a "Pera" upon reaching adulthood, but after the Empire intervened and Syn was told to discard his beliefs, this dream was forgotten. Instead, he became a Grand Admiral, but in the course of his campaign rooting out Rebels during the Galactic Civil War, his conscience was tested. His guilt at abandoning his beliefs prompted him to turn a blind eye to atrocities being committed within the Empire in the name of religion, like in the case of the Yevetha or Dim-U. When the Empire began to crumble, Syn was reminded of morbid stories about Chaos from his childhood, and was quick to turn to the newly founded Church of the Dark Side. As a devotee of the Prophets, Syn regained his childhood happiness; he symbolically renamed his flagship Silooth, after a type of Sithspawn, to represent his new faith. During the Second Battle of Kashyyyk, Syn saw himself defending the church, not the Empire—he died a happy man, fighting for a cause he could believe in.

• The Essential Chronology
• The New Essential Guide to Characters
• "Who's Who: Imperial Grand Admirals" — Star Wars Insider 66
• The New Essential Chronology
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
• Galaxy at War
• Star Wars: The Official Starships & Vehicles Collection 67
• The Essential Guide to Warfare